My Humans
by Glamourcat
Summary: Z/G Pairing: Zelgadis and Gourry become the parents of an unlikely little creature.


TITLE: My Humans  
  
AUTHOR: Glamourcat  
  
EMAIL: Glamourcat@lycos.com  
  
PART: 1/1  
  
WARNINGS: So PG it might just be G rated. This is just a cute story designed to let me introduce a character.  
  
DISCLAIMER: The only thing in here I own is the dragat, Zelwingy. Everything else belongs to someone else, who likely makes more money then me.  
  
SUMMARY: Zelgadis and Gourry become the parents of an unlikely little creature.  
  
NOTES: Zelwingy is based on a gray and white kitten I had, named Ryan who passed away from Feline Leukemia. This is dedicated to Ryan and his carefree spirit. And indecently, catnip bubbles are real. My current cat, Emma the cantankerous Siamese, is actually afraid of them. Every time I open the bottle she hides. She thinks they're medicine. Anyway, enjoy and send feedback!  
  
  
  
Zelgadis sighed, "What's the hold-up now Gourry?"  
  
The big man had stopped on the road again, distracted by something off to the sides. They were never going to get to that temple-and a possible cure for him if the swordsman keep stopping to fish, nap, eat, nap, pick flowers (even if it was a lovely bouquet that Gourry'd given him), nap, eat.  
  
"But Zel, this time it's important!" Gourry protested. The blond picked up a small bundle from underneath a bush and huddled it close to him.  
  
"What have you got there?" Zel asked with some curiosity. He poked at the little bundle Gourry had wrapped in a handkerchief. Much to his surprise, it meowed.  
  
Gourry uncovered the meowing package to reveal a small gray and white kitten, barely two months old with a tiny pair of red wings. "Look! I think it has lost its momma."  
  
"What in the? Gourry, what kinda of cat has wings?" Zel whispered staring at the little kitten.  
  
"The kind that lost his momma and needs me." Gourry replied confidently. He wrapped it back up and tucked it into the front of his shirt. "Come on, we've got to hurry up and get to the next town! This little guy needs food."  
  
"Oh for the kitten you'll hurry up, but not for me?" Zel answered sarcastically.  
  
"You don't need that so-called cure Zel, you're fine the way you are- at least to me. And this kitten'll die if we don't take care of it." Gourry told him in an offhanded manner.  
  
"I.uh.oh." Zel was glad that Gourry had moved past him and back out onto the road. That meant he couldn't see that the chimera was blushing. Gourry didn't think he needed a cure? Didn't it bother him that his traveling companion had to hide his face in a crowd or looked like a walking rock?  
  
"You coming Zel?" Gourry called back to him.  
  
"Uh, sure!" The mystic ran to catch up.  
  
When the two men did wind up reaching the next town Zel almost wished for the solitude of the road again. Gourry dragged him everywhere! And all for that stupid, strange little cat. One pet store didn't have the right kind of milk, another didn't have any toys for it to play with, and still another tried to steal the novel little creature. Well, at least that had been mildly amusing. Gourry had threatened the shop owner at sword point and he'd gotten to levitate an assistant until they gave the winged cat back.  
  
He was waiting outside yet another store with the cat, while Gourry was inside trying to find something else this spoiled little feline needed.  
  
Finally he heard the bell on the door sound, marking the exit of a patron. Zel turned to see Gourry leaving the store with a package under one arm and the little winged cat sitting on his left shoulder with its muzzle buried in all that gorgeous blonde hair.did he honestly just think that Gourry had gorgeous hair? What was with him? Zel shook his head to clear the cobwebs.  
  
"So what did the winged wonder require this time?"  
  
"Bubbles!" Gourry spouted happily.  
  
"Bubbles?" Zel asked confused.  
  
"Yes, bubbles!" Gourry opened the brown bag and pulled out a small bottle filled with a green liquid. "They're made of catnip, so it's safe for the little guy!"  
  
"Catnip bubbles?" Zel repeated. "Okay, now I've seen everything."  
  
"Ooooohhh Mr. Zeeeeelgaaadisssss!" A piercing voice called from behind the two men.  
  
"Ah! Amelia, hide me!" Zelgadis shrieked and jumped into Gourry's arms.  
  
The swordsman caught his companion, looked down at him and smiled. "Gee Zel, I had no idea you were so frightened by girls."  
  
Zel found himself unaccountably blushing. He scrambled to get down and compose himself before being assaulted by Amelia, who as they'd spoken was running up to them.  
  
"Hi Mr. Gourry, Mr. Zelgadis!" Amelia spoke cheerfully, "We've been looking all over for you. Where..oh! What a cute kitty!"  
  
Amelia spotted the gray and white animal sitting on Gourry's shoulder. The kitten hissed and spit at her.  
  
"You know, that cat's growing on me." Zel mused.  
  
"Gourry! Zel! There you are!" Lina Inverse stomped up, in a fine temper. "You were supposed to meet us at the inn closest to the entrance of the city. Where have you.A DRAGAT!"  
  
"A what?" The three others chorused.  
  
"A dragat! A half dragon half cat crossbred." Lina pointed to the creature sitting on Gourry. The dragat now had all of its hackles up and was hissing in full throat at Lina.  
  
"Where did you get it?" Lina asked, dollar signs glowing in her eyes.  
  
"Gourry found him along the road. He's apparently an orphan." Zel asked, blinking in surprise.  
  
"Do you know how much that dragat is worth?" Lina's countenance took on something closely resembling evil. She rubbed her hands together manically. "That animal can be sold for billions! There hasn't been a dragat seen in the civilized world since the War of the Monster's Fall."  
  
"Wow! Imagine that." Gourry tickled the dragat under his chin. It stopped hissing at Lina long enough to purr at the big man. "Little Zelwingy here could be the last of his kind. That means we have to be extra careful with him, and make sure he's safe."  
  
"Zelwingy?" Amelia and Zelgadis repeated.  
  
"Well," Gourry twiddled his thumbs, embarrassed. "Zel's really good at casting that Ray Wing spell and ray is almost like red and this little guy's wings are red so I thought I'd name him Zelwingy."  
  
"Somehow that made sense." Lina said.  
  
"I know. Spooky." Amelia echoed.  
  
"You named him after me?" Zel put a hand on Gourry's arm, peering up into his eyes.  
  
"Of course I did." Gourry said smiling sweetly back at the chimera. "Who else means enough to me to name a pet after?"  
  
The two men both blushed, but didn't break eye contact. Finally, Lina cleared her throat.  
  
"A-HEM!" Lina tapped her foot impatiently. "Now that we've gotten the question of the kitten's name out of the way we need to get to the important stuff."  
  
She attacked Gourry, trying to climb up him to get the dragat off his shoulder. "Like when are you going to give me Zelwingy so I can put him up for auction?!"  
  
"Hey! We're not selling him! He's mine!" Gourry held the dragat in one hand above his head. "LINA!"  
  
"Hold on a minute!" Zel was suddenly unaccountably angry. "You're not selling my namesake!"  
  
He grabbed Lina by her cape and tried pulling her backwards, off Gourry. Amelia shrieked and started yelling at all of them for fighting.  
  
She was ignored.  
  
Amelia gave up and grabbed Zel's cape, trying to pull him away from Lina. All the while Gourry danced on one foot still holding a now hissing and spitting dragat on his hand above his head, Lina still trying to scramble up him, with Zel pulling on her cape practically choking her.  
  
The dragat, Zelwingy, finally took things into his own paws. He spread his wings and the tiny red wings grew to accommodate his body in flight. He leapt off Gourry and circled the air above the group.  
  
Instantly Lina stopped harassing Gourry and started leaping up in the air trying to grab the flying dragat.  
  
Amelia let go of Zel and stood, puzzled. "Miss Lina? You can fly you know."  
  
Lina smacked herself on the forehead. "Oh, right!"  
  
Before she could cast the spell Zelwingy dived at her, opened his mouth and breathed a huge stream of fire.  
  
"ARGH!" Lina screamed, ducked and covered.  
  
Zelwingy banked and came around again. He let loose another blast of flame, this time catching Lina right on the bum.  
  
She screamed and ran back and forth trying to pat out the flames.  
  
Gourry and Zel looked at Lina, back at each other, and then back at Lina before shrugging and cheering in unison, "Come on Zelwingy! Go! Go! Go!"  
  
"Mr. Zelgadis! Mr. Gourry! I'm surprised at you! That's so mean!" Amelia pouted, "Miss Lina needs our help."  
  
"No she doesn't." Gourry pointed. "She found the city's water fountain."  
  
Amelia turned and saw Lina sitting in a giant fountain in the middle of the square.  
  
Zelwingy climbed through the air gaining height for one more attack. The dragat opened his mouth once more and exhaled one last breath of fire- aimed directly at Amelia.  
  
"WHAT? WHY ME?" Amelia wailed as she ran from the fire-spouting cat.  
  
Zelwingy followed her halfway to the fountain and then turned back. Landing on Gourry's shoulder again he started to purr.  
  
"Good kitty." Gourry cooed, scratching Zelwingy's ears.  
  
"Mew? Merup-meow." Zelwingy answered him.  
  
"Come on, we better get out of here while they're still treating their burns." Zel grabbed Gourry's elbow and pulled.  
  
"Right!" Gourry ran with his friend, keeping one hand on his pet.  
  
Once safely outside the city and well down the road the two men stopped running.  
  
Gourry turned to Zelgadis. "Thanks for defending Zelwingy and me. It was really nice of you."  
  
Zel blushed and turned away, "It was nothing. I mean, it was the least I could do after you named the little guy after me and all."  
  
"But what about the Temple? Amelia and Lina were supposed to get the key to unlock the door to it." Gourry asked, worried. "Now we'll never know if they found it, or if we can get into the Temple to find your cure."  
  
"Merow!" Zelwingy launched himself off Gourry's shoulder one more time and flapped his wings, hovering in front of Zelgadis.  
  
"Look, This! This!" A small toddler voice peeped in their minds.  
  
Around Zelwingy's neck was a crystal necklace.  
  
"A crystal?" Zel asked.  
  
"A Key!" The little voice piped happily.  
  
"The key to the Temple!" Gourry made the connection.  
  
"Yes! Took from the weakling one!" The voice proclaimed, triumphant.  
  
"Wait a minute!" Zel pointed to the hovering dragat. "It talks!"  
  
"Oh." Gourry said. "So that's where the little voice in my head was coming from. Boy, that's a relief."  
  
"Since when could you talk?" Zelgadis held his hands out, and the little kitten landed in his palms.  
  
The dragat sniffed and turned to lick his shoulder, unconcerned, "Could always talk."  
  
"Then why didn't you?" Zel asked.  
  
"Had nothing to say."  
  
Zel sweat dropped. "Figures. Just like a cat."  
  
Gourry leaned down to the dragat and stroked its back, "But if you can talk why didn't you tell us? If you're lost from your mommy we could find her and bring you home."  
  
Zelwingy purred throatily and rubbed his head against Gourry's face. "You mommy."  
  
"Oh, that's so cute! It thinks I'm his mommy!" Gourry beamed.  
  
Zel was so completely lost in Gourry's smile that he didn't realize that the dragat was rubbing its face against his own.  
  
"Daddy." Zelwingy proclaimed happily.  
  
"What? Me? Daddy?" Zelgadis sputtered.  
  
"Wow. I've always wanted a family. Now I have one!" Gourry put his arm around Zel's shoulders.  
  
Instinctively Zel leaned into Gourry before he realized what he was doing and tried to pull away. Gourry wouldn't let him go.  
  
He held Zel to him in a hug. Leaning down the swordsman whispered into his ear, "I know you're nervous, and probably a bit confused. But that's okay. I'll wait till you're comfortable."  
  
Gourry released him then and started walking away, Zelwingy flapping after him. "Come on, we should get more distance between us and Lina! We need to beat her to the Temple, right?"  
  
Zel stood still for a moment thinking to himself, reviewing his journey with his friend and making some decisions. Running to catch up, he slid his hand into Gourry's. "Right. As soon as they discover the crystal key gone they're bound to come after us."  
  
"I'll burn again if they do!" Zelwingy announced proudly, settling on Zel's shoulder. "It was fun!"  
  
"Half dragon, half cat." Zel mused. "Your dragon half lets you breath fire and grow right?"  
  
The dragat rumbled and nuzzled Zel's hair, experimentally chewing on the wire.  
  
"Where did you come from, anyway?" Zel asked him.  
  
The dragat gave him a look that said he should have known. "Purrmommy's tummy."  
  
"What? I didn't give birth to him, I swear!" Gourry was startled.  
  
"He's talking about his birthmother-not you." Zel explained patiently.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"But where did your Purrmommy come from?" Zel questioned, trying to figure out the origins of his newly adopted son.  
  
Zelwingy gave him a "you must be stupid" look, "Her Purrmommy's tummy, of course."  
  
"I don't think you're going to get anything out of him that way." Gourry laughed.  
  
"You're right." Zel sighed. What a strange little creature this was. It called Gourry his mother and Zel his father.it didn't mind them being together at all. In fact, Zelwingy had been purring since they linked hands. How strange.  
  
"Zelwingy?" Zel hazarded another question. "Do you have a name? I mean, would you rather be called something besides Zelwingy?"  
  
"Three names have I." Zelwingy answered. "One you give me, one Purrmommy gives, and one I name myself."  
  
"Do you want to be called by the name your Purrmommy gave you?" Gourry asked, concerned.  
  
"Not name really, title." The dragat answered, looking up at his mommy. "Purrmommy knew my destiny, named me for it."  
  
"And what's your destiny?" Zel asked, completely intrigued.  
  
The dragat's wings grew to full size again before it launched itself off his daddy's shoulder. It flapped in happy spirals around the two men singing at the top of its mental voice.  
  
~SPOOKER-BANE! SPOOKER-BANE! I AM THE SPOOKER-BANE!~  
  
"Spooker-Bane? Spooker." Zel fell over himself laughing as he realized what the dragat meant.  
  
"Spooker? Wait a minute. Isn't Lina called the Dragon Spooker?" Gourry said, catching on.  
  
Zel was on the ground, doubled over in paroxysms of laughter. "Ye.yes. Zelwingy's destiny is to be the bane of the dragon spooker! His purpose in life is to hound Lina!"  
  
Gourry started to laugh as well, offering his hands to Zelgadis. Zel accept the help up and found himself pulled straight into Gourry's arms.  
  
"That's our boy!" Gourry said, hugging Zel before setting him back down.  
  
Zel returned Gourry's big smile-it was impossible not to and slid his arm around Gourry's waist. The swordsman put his own arm over Zel's shoulder and they continued down the road together.  
  
Zelwingy landed on Gourry's hand where it rested on Zel's shoulder as the men walked.  
  
He nuzzled first Gourry's hand and then started chewing on Zel's wirehair again.  
  
"My humans." 


End file.
